'Star Trek Beyond' cast greeted in South Korea by fans

SEOUL (Reuters) - The cast of "Star Trek Beyond" hit the red carpet in Seoul on Tuesday to meet and greet fans days before the film's release in South Korea.

Scores of screaming fans took pictures of and with the movie stars, including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Simon Pegg, as they entered the venue and signed autographs.

Pine, who plays the starship Enterprise's Captain James T. Kirk, said he was grateful for the warm welcome.

"I don't think we've ever been received quite the same way anywhere in the world," Pine said at a news conference.

"Thank you very much for having us, for your support, your passion for our really wonderful (film) franchise 'Star Trek,' and we look forward to showing it to you."

In the movie, the beloved cast of characters explores the farthest realms of charted space, where they encounter a new, mysterious enemy who puts them - and everything that the United Federation of Planets stands for - to the test.

"I have the good fortune to play a character who is iconic throughout the world, who has had an incredibly positive influence on millions of people over a number of generations," said American actor Zachary Quinto, who plays Vulcan first officer Spock.

British actor Simon Pegg, who co-wrote the screenplay for "Star Trek Beyond," also stars in the film as Scotty, the ship's engineer.

"I love the little moments of character, I love the little exchanges between 'Bones' and Spock," said Pegg, referring to the ship's curmudgeonly surgeon, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.

"But then it's impossible not to love the extraordinary action as well. There are various sequences in the film which just always leave me completely breathless, even though I've seen them before," Pegg said.

"Star Trek," created by Gene Roddenberry in 1966, was the first mainstream U.S. television series with a racially diverse cast, and spawned several TV series and movies. The franchise is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Director Justin Lin said he hopes "Star Trek" will continue to thrive.

"I hope that this allows the franchise to be able to go on for the next, hopefully, 50 years," said Lin.

Production companies Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media and Bad Robot Productions have announced a fourth film in the rebooted "Star Trek" series.

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, who appeared in 2009's "Star Trek," will return to the space saga in the role of Captain Kirk's father, George Kirk.

The remaining cast members are also expected to return.

"Star Trek Beyond" was released in U.S. cinemas in July to a solid $59.6 million opening weekend. It will be released in South Korea on Friday.